Bike Love NY
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • BFold
  • Zen Bikes

Why I Wear A Helmet Camera

11/13/2014

12 Comments

 
The thing is, this is New York. You never know what’s gonna happen. You can ride the same stretch every day at the same time. It’s gonna be different.

For example, yesterday I’m returning from an errand with Lucille and this guy pops into my radar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Sf4xEQzg4&feature=youtu.be

I’m not nervous – he is in complete control. Looks like he did a wheelie all the way up 8th Ave.

But if I weren’t wearing a helmet camera, who would believe me? I never would have caught him doing it. Nor would I have caught this (over the Summer). 


Lean in!
Picture
Or this (not unusual and soon to be illegal)...
Picture
Or most especially this:
Picture
Yes, this guy is riding with no hands and reading. As in a "book" with actual pages which require turning. Sigh...

The most important reason I wear a helmet camera is to catch bad drivers - and put them on notice. They're not hard to find.
Picture
As an aside, I just want to mention that my helmet camera also records my own riding progress. My navigating skills are much improved. Just a few months ago, I never would have dared to try weaving through this:
Picture
PS, there is no speed involved here. The worst that can happen if I tip over, is embarrassment (I know this from first hand experience). But I can handle these situations now.

Today with bike, helmet and camera, I make my way to Columbus Circle intending to ride the Loop three times – a goal L and I have been working towards. But before I get there, I run into what looks like a rather charged confrontation - I hear loud and angry commands.

Picture
Looks like a pretty intimate search...
Picture
With all the police misbehavior going on around the country, I’m glad to be a witness (they don’t notice me, because my camera looks a lot like the helmet lights cyclists wear), but there’s another reason I'm glad to be recording.

The mood in the NYPD is one of frustration at the moment because just a few days ago, the rules for carrying marijuana, which they’ve been enforcing for years now, completely changed. The very same characters they used to pull in routinely for possession, are getting away with murder (in their opinion). Ultimately they write this guy a ticket. But just in case, I’m standing by.

I ride through the Loop recording the majesty of Central Park just prior to our first snow (due tonight):

Picture
Picture
The sheer beauty of it makes you forget that every inch of this park has been planned, from the water infrastructure and the reservoir, down to the smallest shrub. What a brilliant concept.

Which doesn’t stop the usual idiocy in the traffic lane.

Picture
And other touristy annoyances (this happens a lot):
Picture
OK, he's signaling a right turn. No, wait, he's pointing out the Guggenheim. No wait - just what is he doing? I ring my bell in passing just in case, but he's deep in discussion with his partner and pays no attention.

Second time around the Loop, I fall into a conversation with a cyclist who gripes about bike lanes. "You can’t ride in traffic anymore," he says, "because now that there are bike lanes, there’s less room. People should learn to ride in traffic like we used to do." That’s a novel approach. He complements Janet - spies her threaded brakes and gears (less drag, protection from the elements)...
Picture
and hydraulic disc brakes (forgive a mother for bragging):
Picture
And I have it all on camera (yes it’s legal; he knows I’m recording)!

Third time around the Loop and I'm headed home.

Mostly I wipe my camera card every other day or so, just keeping stills of the more interesting shots. But my riding has changed as a result of “Helmut” as I call my camera (yes, I name everything). And ultimately I think it would be a safer world if we all wore cameras all the time (maybe not on our heads). Just think: you’re in conversation with someone who swears they never said that. And you have a record of them saying exactly that. You heave a sigh of relief (and self satisfaction). Justice is served. Of course if that really worked, Fox News would be off the air, but it might come in handy somewhere else.


Sometimes I’m horrified that we’ve so blithely traded the privacy which the Founding Fathers (not to mention Edward Snowden) fought so hard for us to keep - for the sake of selfies and Facebook posts. But we already know Big Brother is watching. We may as well use that technology to record the world around us. And in the meantime, while Big Brother is watching us, we can also watch back.
12 Comments
merrill
11/23/2014 05:39:04 am

brave stuff.excellent. constant vigilance required? always recording or controlled recording. What alot to wade through after each ride. I like the no-hands reader!

Reply
Melodie link
11/23/2014 09:15:50 am

Yes, the no-hands reader left me speechless!

Reply
Melvin link
12/21/2015 03:52:39 am

waaring a helmet is a good idea. it will save your life.

Reply
motorcycle helmet brands link
4/21/2016 04:48:50 am

Hello, this weekend is good for me, since this time i am reading this enormous informative article here at my home.

Reply
Bill Chandler link
5/3/2016 01:13:51 am

Made in Sweden and built with the welder's comfort as a priority, this auto-darkening welding helmet series is optimised for stick, MIG, TIG, hidden arc,

Reply
Bennie Ward link
5/10/2016 12:21:59 am

Reviewing all the best motorcycle helmets including Bluetooth helmet, safest, cheapest, women, kids, full face and much more.

Reply
Helmet CAM link
8/22/2016 12:25:32 pm

Anything attached to a helmet can compromise the helmets structure in the event of an accident. Granted the risk is low but its still a risk.

Reply
Tyler Knox link
9/12/2016 05:20:52 pm

I will not ride without my GoPro. Just takes time editing the video!

Reply
HP Thermal Camera link
9/14/2016 02:34:43 pm

Dummy security cameras look real and there is no need to store video images. Installations of dummy security cameras are relatively easy. The use of dummy cameras could save hundreds or thousands of dollars per year.

Reply
best dash cam link
2/11/2018 11:33:49 pm

I have bookmarked your blog, the articles are way better than other similar blogs.. thanks for a great blog!

Reply
best welding helmet link
6/28/2018 01:34:47 am

Finding a welding helmet is usually baffling if you are not knowledgeable about modern auto-darkening lens equipment in addition to national safety standards. Fortunately, with some basic knowledge of whats available, the task becomes simple.

Reply
best universal garage door opener link
10/20/2018 09:39:23 pm


Nice post. I learn something more challenging on different blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to read content from other writers and practice a little something from their store. I?d prefer to use some with the content on my blog whether you don?t mind. Natually I?ll give you a link on your web blog. Thanks for sharing.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Enter your Email:
    Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

    Author

    Melodie Bryant is a resident of NYC and avid cycler of a folding Brompton bike named Lucille and a Scott road bike, Lola.

    Follow @bikeloveny

    RSS Feed

    Maintenance (for cyclists only)

    Archives

    April 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    August 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    December 2015
    Hollylights Ride 2015 (Part 1)
    Hollylights Ride 2015 (Part 2)
    A Vision For Staten Island
    January 2018
    Unrequited Love
    Painkillers
    November 2017
    What I Didn't Know (Part 1)
    January 2016
    California Dreamin (mostly photos)
    Activist in a Strange Land
    Northvale
    Appointment in Samarra
    Disasters (and near disasters)
    March 2016
    Chopped Liver
    May 2016
    Uber
    June 2016
    City of Hope
    I Disobey
    The Ratched Effect
    Rehab
    July 2016
    Discoveries
    Naked Bike Ride
    August 2016
    Summer Streets 2016
    The Politics of Joy
    September 2016
    We Ride Together
    A Good Friend
    Blind Spots
    August 2015
    Ireland
       Day One (no biking)
       Day Two (some history)
       Day Three (meet the bikes)
       Day Four (The Burren)
       Day Five (The Hill)
       Day Five and Three Quarters
       Riding the High Road
       Day Seven (our luck runs out)
       Day Six (Inishmore)
       Day Eight (Kylemore Abbey)
       Day Eight (The Dancing Irish)
       Day Nine (last day)
    July 2015
    You 'n Yer Fancy Bike
    Guilty Glass (quick tip for all cyclists)
    June 2015
    Yorktown Heights
    Maintenance (for cyclists only)
    Coney Island Fireworks
    The Katy Trail
       Meeting Katy
       Show Me
       Art and History
    May 2015
    The Blessings Of The Bikes
    The Five Boro Bike Tour
    Montauk (The Ride)
    Montauk (The Afterglow)
    Change
    April 2015
    Back in the Saddle
    Bad Behavior
    City Island (Travelogue)
    No Ordinary Rides
    Frustration
    January 2015
    LA Wheelmen Pt 1
    LA Wheelmen Pt II
    First Bike
    Simplify
    Red Light
    The Bleak Mid Winter
    February 2015
    Staten Island
    Reaching The Limits
    Healing
    The Heartbreak of Winter
    A Slippery Slope
    May 2014
    A Folding Bike
    First Ride
    Second Ride
    My Big Fat Bike Adventure
    Central Park II
    In Which All Is Not As It Seems
    A Tale of Three Islands
    Introducing Lucille
    Brooklyn!
    Minneapolis Biking!
    One World Trade
    June 2014
    Spring in New York
    Breakdown!
    Loss
    Jamaica Bay!
    Hoboken
    Lucille Goes Shopping
    Moonlight Ride!
    Bike Love
    City Grit
    Stormy Weather
    Friday the 13th
    Joining 'Em
    Riverdale!
    Bells and Whistles
    The Rockaways
    Red Hook!
    July 2014
    Governors Island!
    July Fourth!
    The Loire Valley
       A Bumpy Landing
       Loire - First Day
       Loire - Second Day
       Loire - Third Day
       Loire - Fourth Day
    August 2014
    First Rides Home
    A New York Day
    The Madness - And Sadness - 
           Of Fashion Week
    September 2014
    Park Alarm
    Rosh Hashanah
    Flaternalia
    A Cool Ride Up The East Side
    October 2014
    Confessions of a Cheater
    50 Miles in Annandale
    Theft
    Marathon!
    Bike Weight
    A Change of Seasons
    November 2014
    George Washington Bridge
    George Washington Bridge/
       Alternate Route
    The Palisades
    Why I Wear A Helmet Camera
    Nyack
    Return from Nyack
    Lola
    December 2014
    A Bike for Life
    Weather Permitting
    A Wintery Ride
    Some Christmas Doggerel
            (Duckerel?)
    Christmas Lights in Dyker Heights!
    BikeloveLA/First Ride
    BikeloveLA/Cheviot Hills
    BikeloveLA/A Wash
    Videos
    Queens Velodrome
    Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan
    Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn
    A Cool Ride Up The East Side
            (time lapse)
    Biking the loop in Central Park
            (time lapse)
    Navigating the Battery
           (time lapse)
    Bronx River Parkway
           (time lapse)
    Cool Ride to Roosevelt Island
    Via Queensboro (Ed Koch) Bridge
           (time lapse)
    Cheviot Hills
    Patricia Avenue
Proudly powered by Weebly
Proudly powered by Weebly